Commercial mining to free coal sector from decades of lockdown: PM Modi

Says was excluded from competition, there was a big problem of transparency; wants India to aim at becoming world's largest coal exporter

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched the country’s first auction for commercial coal mining and sale in the open market.

This is the first major auction by the government this year in midst of a looming slowdown.

Modi said commercial mining would unlock the country’s coal sector from the “lockdown of decades”.

“The country’s coal sector was entangled in a web of captive and non-captive. It was excluded from competition, (and) there was a big problem of transparency. Major scams had taken place in coal action earlier, but the system has been made transparent now,” he said.